Don’t Ignite It chapter 57

Showdown

Xia Yu leaned against the corridor, smoking a cigarette, wearing a gray and white striped bathrobe with a casual down jacket draped over it. The courtyard was chilly, and even the plum blossoms in the corner emitted a faint cold fragrance. However, he had just finished soaking in the hot spring, so he didn’t feel the cold.

This year, the Xia family and the Xu family were spending New Year’s Eve together at a hot spring estate.

It was owned by a friend of Xia Jin’s and had reserved the largest courtyard specifically for them. In the courtyard, there were two separate villas, one for the parents and one for the younger generation, so they wouldn’t disturb each other.

After the family had dinner together and stayed up until midnight, both sets of parents retired to rest, leaving the younger generation to arrange things for themselves.

Xia Yu exhaled a puff of smoke. He held the cigarette delicately, and the glowing tip flickered in the dim light.

All around was quiet, and even the nearby sounds of firecrackers and fireworks were gradually fading away. It was so silent that you could hear the sound of twigs breaking.

He heard some movement behind him, but he didn’t turn around. After a few seconds, a figure approached him and held out their hand, saying, “Give me a cigarette too.”

Xia Yu raised an eyebrow, mocking, “Can you even smoke?”

Xu Zhan also smiled and replied, “Ruan Sen taught me.”

So Xia Yu gave Xu Zhan a cigarette.

But Xu Zhan clearly didn’t smoke much and coughed a few times. They both stood there, side by side, under the eaves, without saying a word. The surroundings were quiet, and the atmosphere was even somewhat stifling.

“When do you plan to talk to your brother?” Xu Zhan asked.

They had discussed it and decided to be straightforward today about the divorce.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it wasn’t suitable for arguments. Xia Jin and Xu Ping might be angry, but they wouldn’t kick the two of them out on this day.

Xia Yu flicked the cigarette ash and said, “After I finish this cigarette.”

He still had half of his cigarette left.

“What about you?” he asked Xu Zhan.

“The same as you.”

A few minutes later, Xia Yu’s cigarette burned down to the end, and he extinguished it in the ashtray.

“Ready to go?” he asked Xu Zhan as he stood up.

Xu Zhan stared at the hand Xia Yu extended to him, lightly laughed, took his hand, and used it to stand up.

“It’s like we’re going to face certain death,” he said softly.

Xia Yu chuckled, “Who said we’re not?”

Family was like a battlefield, even for those who loved each other; sometimes, they needed to strategize.

Xia Jin was in a room on the second floor, while Xu Ping sat in the living room on the first floor, watching a mundane TV show.

All of them were night owls and had no intention of going to sleep.

Xu Ping was wearing a soft-colored home outfit, her hair casually tied to the side. Perhaps because she was makeup-free, she appeared more relaxed than usual. However, for some reason, she had been in low spirits today. She had been quiet during dinner, and now her attention wasn’t even on the TV show in front of her. The comedy on the screen had nothing to do with her, and she stared at the TV absentmindedly, not even noticing when Xu Zhan sat down in front of her.

“Sis,” Xu Zhan called her softly. “I want to talk to you about something.”

When he said this, he couldn’t help but glance at Xia Yu, who was looking at him.

But soon, Xia Yu continued walking upstairs.

Half a minute later, Xia Yu stood outside Xia Jin’s bedroom door.

His sister-in-law had taken Xia Mil to her family’s home for the New Year. Xia Jin was supposed to go with them, but something came up, so he planned to go the next day.

So tonight was the most suitable time for a confession.

Xia Yu’s fingertips rested on the door for quite some time before he finally knocked. “Brother, it’s me. Can you open the door?”

There were sounds of movement inside the room, and Xia Jin came to open the door. He was wearing silver-rimmed glasses and had a calm expression. “What’s up?”

Xia Yu entered the room and casually closed the door behind him.

He took a slow breath. “I have something I want to talk to you about.”

Xia Jin rarely saw Xia Yu look so serious.

He looked at Xia Yu through the lenses of his glasses. “What’s the matter?”

Xia Yu’s palms were sweating. He was still leaning against the door while Xia Jin sat in a chair, resting his elbows on the armrests, and his fingers were interlocked. He looked at Xia Yu with a puzzled expression.

This reminded Xia Yu of the time when he hid a physics test paper with a failing grade. In the end, his brother found out. However, this time, the matter was much more serious than failing a hundred test papers.

At that time, Xia Jin had gently let him off the hook and made jokes about him not having a talent for the sciences. He had comforted him, saying that he would improve next time.

But this time, Xia Yu didn’t know if Xia Jin would still comfort him.

Xia Yu bit his lip, and his voice was somewhat hoarse. “It’s about me and Xu Zhan.”

He didn’t dare to look at Xia Jin’s expression. He had rehearsed a thousand times in his mind, but now that the moment had arrived, his mind was blank.

He blurted out, “Xu Zhan and I are getting a divorce.”

As soon as these words left his mouth, Xia Yu felt sweat on his back. He didn’t dare to lift his head to see Xia Jin’s expression.

Divorce was always a big deal, especially in families like theirs. They had just had dinner together downstairs, lit fireworks together, and there was no sign of a broken relationship.

His mind was a mess as he tried to figure out how to explain things to Xia Jin. However, he waited for a long time, but Xia Jin didn’t ask any questions.

Xia Yu cautiously raised his eyes, and they met Xia Jin’s gaze.

Xia Jin didn’t smile, but he also didn’t show any signs of anger. Xia Yu and Xia Jin didn’t look very alike; one took after their father, the other their mother. Xia Jin’s face naturally lacked softness; only his eyes resembled Xia Yu’s, full of warmth when he smiled, but extremely serious when he didn’t. He examined Xia Yu with a scrutinizing gaze.

“When did this happen?” Xia Jin asked.

Xia Yu licked his lips. He instinctively felt that something was not right. He expected a furious reaction from Xia Jin. However, Xia Jin remained calm throughout.

This calmness actually made him more uneasy than if Xia Jin had exploded in anger.

But Xia Yu could only stick to the script he had agreed upon with Xu Zhan.

“We’re parting on amicable terms. In reality, Xu Zhan and I haven’t had feelings for each other for a long time. We’re still good friends, but we can’t be lovers. It wasn’t a hasty decision; we discussed it seriously for a long time before deciding to get a divorce. Even without this marriage, we’re still important to each other. We’ll still meet, travel together, and we trust each other, so there’s no need to worry about the impact on the family’s business.”

It was a perfectly crafted script, Xia Jin thought.

The phrase “no longer in love” could hardly be faulted in any situation. Only the people involved could judge the quality of a relationship.

Xia Jin asked, “Is this what Xu Zhan thinks too? You’ve been married for three years, and suddenly, when you seemed to be getting along fine, you decide to get divorced now?”

He could see that Xia Yu was very nervous. He was standing by the door, looking anxious, and even paler than usual.

He didn’t want to make things difficult for Xia Yu.

But this younger brother of his worried him too much, to the point that it felt suffocating.

He was far from being as calm as he appeared on the surface. His anger was simmering beneath the surface, and at any moment, it could erupt.

Xia Yu replied, “Xu Zhan feels the same way as I do. Originally, we thought we could make do with this kind of life, but… life is long, and we can’t continue to live like this, pretending to be a happy couple for the next few decades. It wouldn’t be fair to Xu Zhan.”

“Pretending to be a happy couple,” Xia Jin repeated those words.

His fingers tapped on his knee, the room was quite dark, and half of his face was hidden in the shadows.

He stared at Xia Yu intently and asked, “If you can’t be a couple with Xu Zhan, can you be one with Lu Zhao?”